spratt89

Actress Natasha Richardson's life support machine has been switched off, according to veteran gossip columnist Liz Smith.

The 45-year-old Brit has been in critical condition at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York since Tuesday. She was flown there from Montreal, Canada after suffering a skiing accident on Monday.

Family members, including her husband Liam Neeson and mother Vanessa Redgrave, have maintained a vigil by her bedside, as various news reports surfaced, suggesting the actress was "brain dead," and being kept alive by a machine.

No official statement has been released, but respected writer Smith, who has close ties to the movie and theatre industries, is reporting Richardson's death on her new blog Wowowow.com.

The 86 year old writes, "Word is in at 1:30 pm Wednesday they have taken Natasha off of life support. This is not unexpected.

"Insiders felt yesterday, on learning they were flying Natasha in to Lenox Hill, that this meant her condition was hopeless and they (family members) were just finding a place to be together with her and to say good-bye.

"As one insider remarked: 'Nobody goes to Lenox Hill who is really sick; if she’d had a chance to live, they’d have found another great brain hospital!'"

Smith signs off by stating, "This is all just utterly horrible to write!"

waterlilybarb

I REALLY hope that it's just gossip.  What a tragedy for her family if it's true.   

I guess we'll know soon enough.

spratt89

I kind of got a feeling she would die due to the type of injury as there would be no real reason to move her in such a bad condition to risk her life even more, and the only reason I can think of wanting to bring her back to the US was to have her die with family near by.

waterlilybarb

I know.  It's just so sad - especially when there are children left behind.   But every death is sad for the family of the person who died.  Accidents just seem to strike harder because they are so unexpected.

spratt89

Award-winning actress Betsy Blair has died at the age of 85.

Blair died on Friday in London after suffering from a long illness, according to her daughter Kerry Kelly Novick.

The redheaded actress climbed to international fame playing Clara Snyder in the 1955 film adaptation of television play Marty, which earned her a BAFTA award for Best Foreign Actress in 1956 and Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.

At 17 years old, Blair married legendary actor Gene Kelly, Kerry's father. Details of their 16-year marriage were resurrected nearly five decades after their split, for the actress' 2003 memoir The Memory of All That.

In 1940, Blair made her Broadway debut dancing in the Cole Porter musical Panama Hattie. She later took the lead in Willliam Saroyan's play The Beautiful People and understudied the role of Laura in the Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie.

Blair also appeared in a handful of American films including 1948 movies Another Part of the Forest and The Snake Pit, and Kind Lady, in 1951, before she was banned from work for her political affiliations and placed on the infamous Hollywood blacklist.

She then moved to Paris and finally settled in London when roles dried up in the U.S., starring in European films including Calle Mayor, in 1956, Il Grido, in 1957 and All Night Long, in 1962.

One year later, Blair married director Karel Reisz, who died in 2002.

In addition to her daughter, she is survived by eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren

spratt89

New mum Jessica Alba loves motherhood so much, she's reportedly trying for second baby with husband Cash Warren.

The couple welcomed daughter Honor Marie into the world last June, and Alba has taken to the role of full time parent.

She has revealed in the past she wants more than one kid, and insiders claim she has put her career on hold to try and conceive in 2009.

A source tells the National Enquirer, "Jessica and Cash are working overtime to get pregnant. She and Cash are boasting that they love being parents and are determined to expand their family as soon as possible."

spratt89

Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke is heading back to the ring for an appearance at an upcoming WrestleMania smackdown.

The Wrestler star pulled out of the 5 April event after fighter Chris Jericho took exception to comments the actor made about him on the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in January.

Rourke declared he was ready to take on WWE favourite at the WrestleMania event in Texas and his threats sparked a war of words on CNN show Larry King Live, where the fighter told Rourke, "I don't have respect for you... Be careful what you wish for, Mr. Rourke."

After the TV showdown, a spokesperson for Rourke said, "Mickey was very honoured to be asked as he has the greatest respect for WWE, however he will not be participating in Wrestlemania. He is focusing entirely on his acting career."

But now Jericho has hinted the fight is back on.

Appearing on this week's Monday Night Raw wrestling show, the fighter said, "You say you’re going to be at Mania, I’m going to buy you a front row seat, because I want you to see up close and personal what’s going to happen to all your friends, and, unlike your movie The Wrestler, the ending of this isn’t going to be ambiguous. It’s going to be tragic."

Rourke won a string of awards for his performance as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in The Wrestler, but he missed out on a first Best Actor Oscar when he was beaten by pal Sean Penn.

spratt89

Leon Jackson has been officially dropped by his record label Sony, it has emerged.

The former X Factor winner was released by the company yesterday despite his debut album Right Now selling 130,000 copies, The Sun reports.

Jackson said: "I had a great year and learned so much recording and releasing my album. Every artist knows these things can go either way.

"I'm really looking forward to my tour and doing more writing."

Simon Cowell reportedly believed that Rhydian Roberts should have beaten Jackson in last year's final.

A source close to the judge said: "[Cowell] thought the most talented person should have won.

"That was never Leon and what has happened since has proved him right. Leon's a good lad, but he's definitely not set the world alight."

spratt89

Comedy great Bob Hope's Emmy Award-winning joke writer, Morton Lachman, has died in Los Angeles.

The writer/comedian spent two decades laughing with Hope before becoming a TV sitcom producer and taking charge of beloved U.S. shows like All in the Family and Kate & Allie. He also wrote, directed and produced variety show The Red Skelton Hour and comedies Sanford and That’s My Mama.

Lachman co-wrote the family film Yours, Mine & Ours, and his jokes were told at 11 Oscar ceremonies and six Grammy Awards shows.

He won two Emmys - for All In The Family in 1971 and The Girl Who Couldn't Lose in 1975.

Lachman died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday - three days before his 90th birthday.

spratt89

Tom Hanks is to be honoured by his peers at a star-studded gala tribute to the double Oscar winner in New York.

The Forrest Gump star will be feted at the 36th annual Film Society of Lincoln Center gala by pals like Sally Field, Ron Howard, Mike Nichols and Julia Roberts.

Hanks joins movie industry luminaries like Charlie Chaplin, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor and Martin Scorsese, who are among those previously honoured.

Meryl Streep was the last star to receive the honour.

Hanks' big night will take place at the Alice Tully Hall on 27 April.

spratt89

Angelina Jolie is the hottest mum in showbiz, according to a new online poll.

The mother-of-six topped a survey carried out by MSN.co.uk to find Hollywood's sexiest parent, landing 29 per cent of the votes registered.

Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon shared second place, ahead of Kate Winslet and Katie Holmes.

The full list of 'yummy mummys' - compiled to mark Mother's Day in UK on Sunday - is as follows:

1: Angelina Jolie

2: Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon

4: Kate Winslet

5: Jennifer Garner

6: Katie Holmes

7: Gwyneth Paltrow

8: Cate Blanchett

spratt89

Grey's Anatomy star TR Knight was involved in a car crash Thursday in Los Angeles, according to TMZ. The unconfirmed report says that Knight was not injured but the passengers of the other car were transported to an area hospital. EW could not reach Knight's publicist late Thursday.

spratt89

Former American Idol production staff are suing the hit U.S. talent show's distributor FremantleMedia North America over claims they were overworked.

Three ex-employees filed suit aganist the production giant at Los Angeles Superior Court alleging the company had consistently overworked its staff, had falsified time cards and failed to offer subsidised meals and breaks.

The trio's statement in court documents reads, "For each reality television series subject to this suit, defendants hired plaintiffs based on a flat weekly or daily pay rate.

"Plaintiffs were required to falsify their time cards ... worked in excess of 40 hours per week during virtually every week of their employment, but they never received any premium overtime play ... plaintiffs were routinely denied appropriate meal and rest periods as required."

Lawyer for the former FremantleMedia employees, Jonathan Biddle, adds, "There's no Hollywood glamour for the below-the-line people who work on 'American Idol' and other reality shows who are grossly underpaid, worked 24/7 and receive no rest or meal breaks and no health coverage - contrary to California labour laws."

The case is similar to a previous employee action against reality TV production companies and broadcasters launched in conjunction with the Writers Guild of America. That suit was recently settled for $4 million (£2.8million).

spratt89

The brother of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan is facing murder and kidnapping charges following his arrest by FBI agents in Chicago, Illinois last month.

Matthew Francis Nolan, who was also under investigation by Chicago authorities over his alleged involvement in a $700,000 (£486,100) bank fraud scheme, was taken into custody on suspicion of the 2005 killing of Florida businessman Robert C. Cohen.

The warrant for his arrest was originally issued in Costa Rica, where 40-year-old Nolan was reportedly posing as Cohen's potential business partner. However, authorities claim Nolan was actually hired to recover the $7 million (£4.86 million) Cohen owed another Florida mogul.

He and his accomplice, Douglas Mejia, allegedly kidnapped Cohen and attempted to extort the cash from his family. Costa Rican officials allege the pair murdered the businessman when the bribe failed.

Mejia has already been convicted for his involvement, while Nolan is being held in Chicago until he can be extradited and tried for the charges, according to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper.

spratt89

Gwyneth Paltrow is battling feelings of guilt as she prepares to film Iron Man 2 - because she has to drag her children out of their native London for the shoot.

The actress, who plays Pepper Potts in the hit franchise, will leave the British capital, where she lives with her husband Chris Martin and two kids, on Monday to begin filming the sequel to the blockbuster movie in the U.S.

But she admits she hates having to remove her children - four-year-old daughter Apple and son Moses, one - from their normal surroundings.

She says, "I'm feeling 'mother guilt' because my daughter is looking forward to going but my son says, 'I don't wanna leave my London house!' So I always feel pretty guilty about that. I try to say, 'We're gonna swim and it's going to be sunny!' I try to point out the positives."

And the star insists the youngsters are often confused when she returns to work: "I barely ever do films; I'm with them almost all the time. But in a way it makes the transition harder. I feel like if I worked all the time, then they would be used to it. But when I'm always there and always doing the school runs and I'm always around and then I just disappear for 14 hours a day to film, it's hard."

spratt89

Jennifer Aniston has teamed up with her father to narrate a new children's book for charity.

The actress has joined her dad, John, to voice Nick Katsoris' Loukoumi's Good Deeds - the third release in an ongoing series about doing nice things for other people.

The Marley & Me star narrates the entire novel in an accompanying CD, and voices a giraffe named Daisy in a bonus story narrated by her dad.

Katsoris tells RadarOnline.com, "Jennifer was wonderful, they were so easy to work with and it was the first time they had done something together. They recorded in L.A. last fall and she was just a joy to work with... All the proceeds go to St. Jude's and Jennifer is a big fan of them."

A spokesperson for Aniston adds, "It is a wonderful story, plain and simple. She did it because she wanted to do it with her dad, as well as she loved the story.”

The narration will be available on 1 April.

spratt89

Actress Natasha Richardson will be buried in a private family ceremony near her Millbrook Dutchess County home in New York.

The tragic star's husband Liam Neeson, their two sons, members of her family and close friends like Matthew Modine and moviemaker Mike Nichols gathered for a wake at the American Irish Historical Society in Manhattan on Friday and they'll say their farewells to the actress on Sunday.

Police are preparing for traffic congestion and huge crowds as fans head to Millbrook to pay tribute to the late star, who died on Wednesday after suffering a traumatic brain injury while learning to ski in Montreal, Canada.

Broadway theatre bosses paid tribute to the actress on Thursday night by dimming the lights of New York's theatreland for a minute.

spratt89

The uncle of actress Natasha Richardson paid a moving tribute to his late niece, dedicating his theatre performance on Friday night to the star.

Corin Redgrave, brother of Richardson's mother, Vanessa Redgrave, returned to the London stage for his role in Trumbo following the Maid In Manhattan star's death on Wednesday.

He revealed his devastation at the loss of a treasured family member, saying: "She was the most adorable niece, most adorable person. Generous, kind, funny with a brilliant talent.

"I will miss her terribly and my thoughts at this time are with Vanessa, Liam and the children."

His tribute came on the same night as theatres across the British capital dimmed their lights to honour the star.

Venues in the West End held a two minute switch-off just before curtain-up time "as a mark of respect for both Natasha Richardson and her immediate family, and for the Redgrave family as a whole who have made such a unique contribution to British theatre".

Nica Burns, president of the Society of London Theatre, added that it was "a gesture of condolence at this sad time".

Richardson lost her fight for life after suffering a traumatic brain injury while learning to ski in Montreal, Canada earlier this week (begs16Mar09).

And it has emerged that the star turned down the offer of a protective helmet during the fateful lesson.

A staff member at Mont Tremblant tells British newspaper The Sun, “We are heartbroken that we didn’t do more to persuade her to wear one. A helmet would have cost her just ten dollars (Canadian).

“Every skier is encouraged to wear a helmet, especially beginners like Natasha. But it is not legally enforced and they can always refuse.

"I remember Natasha coming into the shop before her lesson. She seemed cheerful, bright and extremely beautiful. She said she wasn’t a good skier and was a little nervous.”

Richardson will be buried in a private family ceremony near her Millbrook Dutchess County home in New York on Sunday.

The actress' family has requested fans donate to the amfAR foundation for AIDS research, which Richardson was a patron of, instead of sending flowers.

spratt89

The producers of Tyra Banks' hit reality TV show America's Next Top Model have created a set of rules for wannabes - to avoid a repeat of the riot that broke out at a casting call last weekend.

Potential contestants were waiting to try out for producers in Manhattan, New York when chaos broke out on the streets outside the Park Central New York hotel. Hundreds of people were caught up in the melee, leaving the street outside the hotel littered with shoes and clothing.

Two women and a man were arrested on charges of inciting to riot and disorderly conduct, and six people were injured. Police were forced to shut down the casting call.

To avoid a repeat when America's Next Top Model bosses stage another open call in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, producers insist they won't see anyone who has been lining up overnight, or prior to 6 am, and only women competing for a part on the show can stand in line, unless they're under 18. Teenagers will be allowed to stand with one guardian.

spratt89

Longtime Hollywood power couple Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart are reportedly engaged to be married!

Ford surprised Flockhart with a ring and popped the question on Valentine's Day weekend while the two vacationed with son Liam, People magazine reports. No wedding date has been set, according to a source close to the couple who spoke to People.

The 'Indiana Jones' actor has been partnered with Flockhart for more than seven years.